Executive Summary
The report aims at comparing the living and working conditions in the UK and Poland. This will assist Mr. Blake in assessing the viability of his Polish job opportunity.
An environmental evaluation revealed that climatic conditions between the UK and Poland are only slightly different; the latter country is cooler than the former. Poland’s political background is less stable than the UK’s, so Mr. Blake should prepare for frequent policy changes in the target country. Poland’s economy is growing rapidly; however, the country has excessive bureaucracy and corruption.
Mr. Blake should learn how to overcome that bureaucracy in the country. The UK is more secular than Poland, so Mr. Blake will need to adjust to this too. A cultural comparison of the two countries revealed that the UK is more individualistic than Poland. John Blake will need to consider his colleagues’ well being when he accepts the offer. After looking at the similarities and differences, Mr. Blake should accept the job; however, he needs to make the above mentioned adjustments when he gets there.
Aims and Objectives
A Polish local company has offered John Smith – a UK national – a job. Before taking on the challenge, John Smith needs learn about the general similarities and differences between the United Kingdom and Poland. Consequently, the main objective of the report is to prepare John Smith for his new job by informing him about the working environment in Poland. It will be necessary to compare this environment with his home country’s environment so as to provide him with a standard to gauge this new opportunity.
The aims of the research can be summarised as follows: To examine Poland and the UK’s climatic compatibility; to evaluate the political backgrounds of the two nations; to analyse the economic background of Poland and the UK; to look at the cultural differences; to analyse the religious standing of the Poles and the UK nationals.
Evaluation and Analysis
Weather and Climate
Climatic conditions in Poland are dependent on the geographical locations under consideration. Likewise, the United Kingdom has variable weather patterns depending on the region under analysis. However, Poland is colder than the UK. In the winter, temperatures can drop to as low as 25oC. Furthermore, Poland’s winters are much longer than the UK’s. John Smith needs to analyse Poland’s weather on the basis of his regional affiliation in the UK and his target destination. He is probably familiar with Arctic climate if he hails from the Northern part of the UK. Mr. Smith probably does not mind heavy rain and mild temperatures, as well. He would live well in mountainous regions and other parts of Poland. However, if John Smith comes from the South, then he might be uncomfortable with Polish weather.
During the summer, rain mixes with sunshine, although temperatures tend to be warm. Autumn can get sunny sometimes, but periods of cold and rain can interrupt this pattern. Spring in Poland has varied temperatures of between -1 and 20oC. Therefore, John Smith would acclimatise easily in Poland if he came from a cold region of the UK, but would find it slightly uncomfortable if he came from the South.
Political background
The UK’s political system is a much older one than Poland’s; this stems from the lack of any major revolution in over one thousand years (Cannon, 2009). Furthermore, Britain has a Monarch that shares power with the British Parliament. Conversely, Poland has a Presidential system that is also a parliamentary democracy. Consequently, one can say that Poland’s political system is more fluid than the one in the UK. The Monarchical system is more stable than the Polish system because leaders inherit those positions.
Nonetheless, the prevalence of a prime minister and a robust parliament in the UK is indicative of some degree of pragmatism. Overly, the political system in the UK is not as logical as the one in Poland because of its preference for tradition. The UK has a regional government that encompasses England, Northern Ireland, Wales, and Scotland, yet the federal system is quite complicated.
England, which accounts for eighty four percent of the UK population, is reluctant to embrace the sense of regionalism that supports a federal system. Nonetheless, the UK still gives Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales a unique status within the administrative system. On the other hand, Poland does not have these challenges as it is not an amalgamation of various states. Nonetheless, the country still has its share of challenges. Because the country has a presidential system, it may be susceptible to abuse by the presiding executive.
Furthermore, the election of such an executive can sometimes be challenging. While the UK’s system has a neoliberal inclination, the Polish political system is more complicated. Tensions between socialists and neoliberals have led to many policy contradictions. Sometimes Parliament may take away workers’ rights, and in other instances, it may strengthen them. John Smith may want to consider this fact when he works in Poland – workers’ rights may not be a top priority for Polish political actors.
Economic background
Poland is a fast growing economy, having recorded an annual GDP increase of 3% prior to the 2008 recession. Furthermore, the country was the only one in the EU that did not record a dip in their GDP after 2008. These remarkable results stem from an economic liberalisation project that started in the 1990s. The government privatised many state-owned corporations; this sparked off high GDP growth. However, liberalisation created negative effects on some segments of the population.
Although the Polish economy is growing, it is still not as large as the UK’s economy, which is the largest in the European Union and the sixth largest in the whole world. Such a result stems from the long history of industrialisation in the UK (Fisher, 2006). Having been a highly globalised economy, the 2008 global recession affected the UK; it is yet to come out of this problem. This explains why John Smith should probably consider a country like Poland, which was not as affected by the downturn as the UK was.
On the other hand, the business conditions in the UK are more favourable than Poland’s. First, the UK is 16th in the world economic freedom index. Conversely, Poland is 68th in that same index. This indicates that openness to trade and corruption are still a serious problem in Poland. John Smith may need to prepare for the excessive bureaucracy that mars entrepreneurial activity in Poland (World Bank, 2010). This problem is negligible in the UK; the country has transparent regulatory frameworks.
In Poland, inconsistent commercial code applications often hinder business operations. Mr. Smith should be cautious about such inconsistencies when he goes to Poland. Anti-corruption is still a significant problem in Poland as the country is 49th among 180 countries. Conversely, the United Kingdom is 17th (Shwab, 2011). This could be a problem to John Smith because he may experience difficulties when resisting corrupt deals or corrupt Polish officials.
When employers severe an employer’s contract, the UK does not require excessive or burdensome compensation; however, this is not true in Poland. In this country, contract termination is fairly complex. Polish employers find it difficult to dismiss employees, and this may work in John Smith’s favour. Since he is not going to Poland to start a business, but to work, then those labour codes can work to his advantage.
Religion and views
The United Kingdom is a highly secularised state. Although most citizens still identify themselves with Christianity, a vast majority of them do not practice their faith. Conversely, the Poles are a deeply religious population. They link their beliefs to their political and cultural systems. Most of their religious holidays are national holidays and few businesses will open on that day. Catholicism is the most popular religion in these two countries.
However, few Britons regard religion as an important part of their lives. Some census polls carried out in the UK have revealed that approximately 65% of the population are not religious. Furthermore, only nine percent of the population has attended church on a weekly basis. Consequently, the level of religiosity in the United Kingdom is quite low (Knippenberg, 2005). This may become a problem for John Smith when he leaves for Poland. He may not fit-in well with the group because of his secular nature.
Cultural difference
The Hofstede cultural index is a powerful indicator of a country’s cultural inclinations hence its use in the analysis. The UK’s Power distance score is 35 out of 100, which is a low score. To people in the UK, issues of status, rank and inequality are unimportant. Conversely, Poland’s power distance index score is 50 out of 100.
This explains why the UK addresses the rights of its minorities (Evans, 2007). On a micro level, it also explains why relationships are quite casual between subordinates and seniors. John Smith will need to change his behaviour in order to suit this new environment. He may need to demonstrate greater respect for authority than he currently does.
The UK’s individualism score is 89 out of 100. On the other hand, Poland scored 56 for this. This indicates that people in the UK tend to focus on themselves more than the team in business environments. The Poles have a moderate concern for collective well being. This may challenge Mr. Smith as his workmates may think that he is selfish or inconsiderate.
The uncertainty avoidance score for the UK is 35, which is quite low. Conversely, the Poles scored 69 for this. This means that people in the UK tend to think of conflict in the workplace as a healthy thing, yet the Poles do not. John Smith may need to change his approach to workplace conflicts in order to gain acceptance in the Polish community.
The UK has a masculinity score of 66 while Poland has a masculinity score of 63. Their scores are quite close to one another. The result shows that both countries are striving for equality in the workplace; although there could still be some biases on the same. John Smith will not have to alter his attitude towards women when working in the UK because perceptions in the two countries are similar.
Recommendations
John Smith should probably consider taking on the job offer in Poland because the working and living environment in Poland is favourable to him. This country’s economy has been growing steadily over the past few years, and the government has designed its labour laws to protect workers from dismissal. These are all qualities that Mr. Smith will find appealing.
However, he will need to make a few adjustments when he arrives there. First, he will need to show greater respect to superiors and people of greater rank than him. He should also try to be more agreeable with his workmates because Poland is less individualistic than the United Kingdom.
Mr. Smith should dress warmly in Poland because the climate is cooler there than it is in the UK. Furthermore, he needs to learn how to handle the excessive bureaucracy that is prevalent in Poland’s business systems. However, he should be ready to deal with slow or failed projects when contractors fail to deliver because they did not receive bribes. Lastly, Mr. Smith needs to consider the possibility of strikes and other complaints against the government concerning worker’s rights.
References
Cannon, J. (2009). A dictionary of British History. Oxford, OUP.
Evans, D. (2007). The History of British magic after Crowley. Oxford, OUP.
Fisher, M. (2006). Counterflows to colonialism. London, Orient Blackswan.
Knippenberg, H. (2005). The changing religious landscape of Europe. Amsterdam, Het Spinhuis.
Shwab, K. (2011). The global competitiveness report. World Economic Forum report, 45-67.
World Bank (2010). Doing business in Poland. Doing Business. Web.